Benny Hill Complete and Unadulterated: The Naughty Early Years, Set One - 1969-1971 (1979) Review
Posted by
John Bailey
on 10/08/2012
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Labels:
bbc america,
benny hill,
british comedy,
british tv,
comedy,
humor,
television,
the benny hill show,
tv comedies,
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Average Reviews:
(More customer reviews)The A&E Collection Of 'Benny Hill Complete And Unadulterated - The Naughty Early Years, Set One (1969 - 1971) is an absolute treasure to fans of this beloved, chubby, moon-faced comedian!
These are the very first episodes American TV audiences viewed of Benny Hill, when he was at the peak of his comic genius. Benny Hill is young, surprisingly slender in these shows and full of vitality, and energy missing from his twilight shows some twenty years later.
Here we can see the entire 'Benny Hill Show' special as it appeared on Thames Television in Great Britain, completely unedited. The shows boast first-rate musical numbers usually performed by Benny's in-house quartet of female singers, the Ladybirds, and Hill's brilliant comedy. American viewers will recognize some of the sketches, but be astonished as to how much material was edited out for American syndication, primarily for time considerations.
I always loved the delightful, and hilarious sketch, 'The European Song Of The Year Contest', which is in the very first special of the 11 included on this three-disc set. Here the sketch has several more contestants added, and a finale that was always deleted from the USA version. Even the order of the scenes in the sketches was juggled by the American editor! There are really only a few moments where a skit or gag was dropped because of raciness or poor taste.
There are also three black & white specials included on this set that were never broadcast in any form to American television, as USA audiences are generally loathe to watch anything not in color!
What is also remarkable about these broadcasts is that the beautiful women on the show clearly take a backseat to comedy and music! There are still no "Hill's Angels" as of yet, just lovely ladies appearing in the hilarious comedy skits.
This is the very best of Benny Hill, and the sharp clear copies of his shows, are truly 'old gold' to fans of the great comedian!
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Studio: A&e Home VideoRelease Date: 08/24/2004Run time: 550 minutesRating: Nr
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